How to Remove the Uncategorized Category in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
So, you’ve built your online store with WooCommerce, and everything’s looking great… except for that pesky “Uncategorized” category hanging around. You might be wondering, “What is this category? Why is it here? And how do I get rid of it?!”
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The “Uncategorized” category is a default in WooCommerce. Think of it as a safety net – if you create a product and forget to assign it to a specific category, WooCommerce automatically places it in “Uncategorized.” While convenient, it’s rarely ideal for a polished, professional-looking storefront.
This article will walk you through how to remove the Uncategorized category in WooCommerce, making your website look cleaner and more organized. We’ll cover different methods, from the simplest to the slightly more advanced, so you can choose the one that best suits your comfort level.
Why You Should Remove (or Rename) Uncategorized
Before we dive into *how* to remove it, let’s understand *why* it’s beneficial:
- Professionalism: Having an “Uncategorized” category suggests a lack of organization. Imagine a physical store with a shelf labeled “Miscellaneous Stuff” – not very appealing, right?
- Improved Navigation: Clear and descriptive categories help your customers find what they’re looking for. “Uncategorized” offers no navigational value.
- Better SEO: Search engines prefer well-organized websites. Optimizing your category structure helps search engines understand your products, leading to better rankings. “Uncategorized” offers no SEO benefit.
- CSS: You could hide it from your website’s front-end using CSS, but the category still exists in your database and backend.
- PHP: You could use code to prevent it from being displayed in product loops or category archives.
- It’s a band-aid solution. You’re not addressing the underlying issue of uncategorized products.
- It can be confusing. You might forget that the category exists and accidentally add more products to it later.
- It can be detrimental to SEO. Hidden content can sometimes be penalized by search engines.
Method 1: Assign All Products to Specific Categories (The Best Practice!)
This is the recommended approach. Instead of simply removing the “Uncategorized” category, you should *actually categorize* your products. This provides the best experience for your customers and improves your SEO.
1. Go to Products > All Products in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Use Quick Edit: Hover over each product and click “Quick Edit.”
3. Assign a Category: In the “Categories” box, check the appropriate category (or categories) for the product. You can create new categories if needed by clicking “+ Add New Category”.
4. Update: Click the “Update” button to save the changes.
5. Repeat for all products currently in the “Uncategorized” category.
Example: Let’s say you sell t-shirts, mugs, and stickers. Instead of leaving everything in “Uncategorized,” you’d create categories like “T-Shirts,” “Mugs,” and “Stickers,” and assign each product to its respective category.
Reasoning: This method tackles the root of the problem – unassigned products. It’s the most sustainable solution and provides the most benefits for your store.
Method 2: Change the Default Category
WooCommerce allows you to designate a different category as the default. While this doesn’t *remove* “Uncategorized,” it prevents new, unassigned products from being added to it.
1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Display.
2. Find the “Default Product Category” setting. It’s usually near the top of the page.
3. Select a new default category from the dropdown menu. Choose the category that most of your products belong to.
4. Save changes. Click the “Save changes” button at the bottom of the page.
Example: If you sell mostly apparel, you could create an “Apparel” category and set it as the default. Now, if you forget to categorize a product, it will automatically be assigned to “Apparel” instead of “Uncategorized.”
Reasoning: This prevents future products from ending up in the “Uncategorized” bucket, but it doesn’t address existing products already assigned to it. You’ll still need to follow Method 1 to categorize those.
Method 3: Rename the “Uncategorized” Category
If you don’t want to completely remove the category but find the name unprofessional, you can rename it.
1. Go to Products > Categories in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Hover over “Uncategorized” and click “Edit.”
3. Change the “Name” field to something more descriptive, like “General” or “Miscellaneous.”
4. Optionally, change the “Slug” field. The slug is the URL-friendly version of the name. It’s best to keep it short and descriptive (e.g., “general” or “misc”).
5. Update: Click the “Update” button to save the changes.
Example: You could rename “Uncategorized” to “Other” or “New Arrivals” (if you primarily use it for recently added products).
Reasoning: This offers a quick and easy solution for improving the category’s appearance without requiring you to re-categorize products immediately. However, it’s still best to eventually categorize products properly for better organization and SEO.
Method 4: Hiding the “Uncategorized” Category (Not Recommended)
While technically possible, hiding the “Uncategorized” category using CSS or PHP is generally not recommended.
Why it’s not recommended:
If you absolutely *must* hide the category, here’s a PHP snippet (use with caution!):
$term ) {
if ( $term->slug == 'uncategorized' ) {
unset( $terms[ $key ] );
}
}
}
return $terms;
}
add_filter( 'get_terms', 'hide_uncategorized_category', 10, 3 );
?>
Important: Add this code to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or, ideally, a child theme’s `functions.php` file) or use a code snippets plugin. Always back up your website before making any code changes.
Even if you use this code, make sure to categorize your products eventually!
Conclusion: Categorize, Categorize, Categorize!
The best way to deal with the “Uncategorized” category is to avoid using it in the first place. Take the time to properly categorize your products. This not only improves the appearance of your store but also enhances the user experience and boosts your SEO. While you can rename the category, that won’t completely solve the problem. Take time to categorize your product.
Ultimately, the solution that’s most right for you will depend on your needs and how you approach the problem. Use the method or combination of methods that feel the most appropriate.
